Sports such as for example but not limited to football, soccer and rugby, hockey, athletics, equestrian and others have traditionally been played on pitches covered by grass. These are costly to maintain since they are maintenance prone. They are moreover very susceptible to climate. For example they may become saturated with water or dry out due to sun shine and heat. Moreover, such pitches will easily be damaged.
In order to avoid these problems and allow a more intensive use of sports fields artificial sports fields have been developed, for example made of plastic material. They may be woven and/or non-woven and can comprise for example artificial grass filaments, representing haulms. A filling material such as sand or rubber filler elements can be provided in between such filaments.
Traditionally such sports fields comprise a base, on which drainage pipes are positioned. Then a draining sand layer is provided over said pipes and a layer of lava stone over said layer of sand. On said lava layer an elastic base layer of rubber or the like can be provided, over which a layer of geo textile is placed, protecting the top layer. Then the top layer is provided, comprising a layer of artificial grass. This top layer may be glued or otherwise adhered to the geo textile. Then a layer of sand or rubber filler elements may be provided on top of the artificial grass, for providing further stability.
Artificial sports fields are generally more durable and require less maintenance. A disadvantage of such artificial sports fields may be that they may heat up and get over heated. Such overheating may be detrimental to the top layer but also to the players and other people on the field. A heated top layer may negatively influence the players and may lead to scorching when for example a player falls or makes a sliding or the like movement on the field. In order to avoid such overheating these sports fields have to be sprayed with water regularly, sometimes even at intervals during and between games played on said field, in order to prevent overheating of the sports field, especially the top layer. To this end the sports field has to be provided with a spraying installation with sprayers retractable into the field. Such installation is costly and prone to regular maintenance. Moreover the sprayers may influence the levelness of the sports field, at least locally, and may also make the surface slippery whilst wet. Moreover the spraying installation can only be used when the field is not in use.
An aim of the present disclosure is to provide for an alternative sports field structure. An aim of the present disclosure is to provide for a sports field structure in which the temperature of at least the surface can be controlled and/or regulated. An aim of the present disclosure is to provide for a sports field which is relatively easy to form and maintain. An aim of the present disclosure is to provide for a sports field which can be temperature regulated even during use. An aim of the present disclosure is to provide for a method for forming a sports field.
At least one of these and other aims is obtainable with a sports field structure and modules therefore according to this disclosure.